Bellingham International Airport evacuated due to bomb alert

PUBLISHED Sun, October 09, 2016 - 6:42pm EDT

Credit: Google

Bellingham International Airport in Washington state has been partially evacuated after something tested positive for explosives, police say. The evacuation was ordered as a precaution while the bomb squad investigates the item. (more)

The evacuation was ordered just before 3:30 p.m. on Sunday but only few details were immediately available. A spokesperson for the Bellingham Police Department said "screeners got a positive swab for explosives."

The police department's bomb squad has responded to the airport while most passengers have been evacuated, though about 300 people who had already passed security screening remain inside. "They are fine and far from the area of concern," police said.

A positive initial test does not necessarily mean that there are in fact explosives. The bomb squad is now working to double-check the results.

Other details were not immediately available, and it is unclear how flights will be affected.

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